"Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart" (German: "Der Unredliche in seinem Herzen") is the name usually given to Franz Kafka's earliest surviving work of fiction, a short story that he wrote in 1902 and that has survived only because it was included in a letter to his friend Oskar Pollak.
It is unclear whether "Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart" was written for the letter which Kafka sent to Pollack, postmarked 20 December 1902, or if he had worked on it previously. All that Kafka writes about the story is that it is "new and hard to tell."[1] It is similarly unknown whether Kafka considered publishing the story, or even thought of it as a stand-alone piece. The story has never been included in any collection of Kafka's fiction and appears only in Letters to Friends, Family, and Editors (German: Briefe 1902-1924), where it is embedded within the letter sent to Pollack.
Plot
The story describes a meeting between Impure in Heart, a dandy who lives in a big city "who got drunk night after night and was frantic night after night," and Shamefaced Lanky, a tall and awkward man who has "crept off to hide his face in an old village" and knits "woolen socks for the peasants." Impure in Heart talks to Shamefaced Lanky at length. At first, his words turn into finely dressed "little gentlemen" who make their way across the room and crawl into Lanky's ears. He goes on to tell Lanky "a merry mix" of stories while "stabbing his pointed cane into Lanky's belly" until he is content, then smiles and leaves. When Lanky is left alone he begins weeping and asks himself a series of questions about the visitor and himself, before finally returning to his knitting.[2]
Interpretation
According to Kafka's close friend Max Brod:
Shamefaced Lanky is Kafka himself, while Impure in Heart is a portrait of his former classmate at the Gymnasium (high school), Emil Utitz (1883-1956), then a student of philosophy and a follower of Franz Brentano.[3]
However, Frederick Robert Karl claims that Impure in Heart was intended to depict the letter's addressee Oskar Pollak,[4] an assessment also endorsed by Sander L. Gilman, who saw the story as an outgrowth of Kafka and Pollak's "passionate relationship," which "stressed the rhetoric of the body in a homoerotic setting."[5] Mark M. Anderson claims that this "tense, erotically charged encounter" anticipates a similar struggle between two modes of life in Kafka's "Description of a Struggle" and is notable for "the centrality of the city/country distinction and the allegorical use of clothing," motifs that reappear throughout his writing.[6]
References
^Kafka, Franz. Letters to Friends, Family, and Editors. New York: Schocken Books, 1990. p. 6
^Karl, Frederick Robert. Franz Kafka, Representative Man. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. p. 92
^Gilman, Sander L. Franz Kafka, the Jewish Patient. London: Routledge, 1995. p. 160
^Anderson, Mark M. Kafka's Clothes: Ornament and Aestheticism in the Habsburg Fin de Siecle Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. p. 58
External links
Full text of "Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart"
April 16, 2023
shamefaced, lanky, impure, heart, german, unredliche, seinem, herzen, name, usually, given, franz, kafka, earliest, surviving, work, fiction, short, story, that, wrote, 1902, that, survived, only, because, included, letter, friend, oskar, pollak, franz, kafkao. Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart German Der Unredliche in seinem Herzen is the name usually given to Franz Kafka s earliest surviving work of fiction a short story that he wrote in 1902 and that has survived only because it was included in a letter to his friend Oskar Pollak Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart by Franz KafkaOriginal titleDer Unredliche in seinem HerzenTranslatorRichard and Clara WinstonLanguageGermanGenre s Short storyPublished inBriefe 1902 1924Media typePrintPublication date1958 written 1902 Published in English1977 Contents 1 Background 2 Plot 3 Interpretation 4 References 5 External linksBackground EditIt is unclear whether Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart was written for the letter which Kafka sent to Pollack postmarked 20 December 1902 or if he had worked on it previously All that Kafka writes about the story is that it is new and hard to tell 1 It is similarly unknown whether Kafka considered publishing the story or even thought of it as a stand alone piece The story has never been included in any collection of Kafka s fiction and appears only in Letters to Friends Family and Editors German Briefe 1902 1924 where it is embedded within the letter sent to Pollack Plot EditThe story describes a meeting between Impure in Heart a dandy who lives in a big city who got drunk night after night and was frantic night after night and Shamefaced Lanky a tall and awkward man who has crept off to hide his face in an old village and knits woolen socks for the peasants Impure in Heart talks to Shamefaced Lanky at length At first his words turn into finely dressed little gentlemen who make their way across the room and crawl into Lanky s ears He goes on to tell Lanky a merry mix of stories while stabbing his pointed cane into Lanky s belly until he is content then smiles and leaves When Lanky is left alone he begins weeping and asks himself a series of questions about the visitor and himself before finally returning to his knitting 2 Interpretation EditAccording to Kafka s close friend Max Brod Shamefaced Lanky is Kafka himself while Impure in Heart is a portrait of his former classmate at the Gymnasium high school Emil Utitz 1883 1956 then a student of philosophy and a follower of Franz Brentano 3 However Frederick Robert Karl claims that Impure in Heart was intended to depict the letter s addressee Oskar Pollak 4 an assessment also endorsed by Sander L Gilman who saw the story as an outgrowth of Kafka and Pollak s passionate relationship which stressed the rhetoric of the body in a homoerotic setting 5 Mark M Anderson claims that this tense erotically charged encounter anticipates a similar struggle between two modes of life in Kafka s Description of a Struggle and is notable for the centrality of the city country distinction and the allegorical use of clothing motifs that reappear throughout his writing 6 References Edit Kafka Franz Letters to Friends Family and Editors New York Schocken Books 1990 p 6 Kafka pp 6 7 Kafka p 426 Karl Frederick Robert Franz Kafka Representative Man New York Houghton Mifflin 1991 p 92 Gilman Sander L Franz Kafka the Jewish Patient London Routledge 1995 p 160 Anderson Mark M Kafka s Clothes Ornament and Aestheticism in the Habsburg Fin de Siecle Oxford Oxford University Press 1995 p 58External links EditFull text of Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart amp oldid 1147090731, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
